Saturday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week. It's not what you might think, it has nothing to do with sleeping-in or taking a day off, it's because it's market day! On Saturday morning a few blocks of downtown Alajuelita are transformed into an open-air farmer's market. It's quite an amazing experience! Vendors come from near and far to set-up their booths containing fruits, veggies, eggs, cheese, meats, and more. Fresh produce at a fraction of what we are used to paying in the States. It's a vegetarians dream come true!
About a month ago my wife and I went to the market with our friends, Dave and Leisa. Dave and Leisa, were down visiting for a week and wanted to experience the market. Leisurely, we made my way through the market, sampling cheeses, squeezing tomatoes, and thumping melons. I was having a great market day strolling around sipping on some fresh squeezed orange juice and bumping into friends from around town. Then my friend Dave had to go and ruin it all! He pointed out one of the most disturbing things I've seen since I've been living here in Alajuelita
She looked to be about six years old, and was dressed in raggedy, slightly over-sized clothes. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her hands and face were dirty. Though, beneath all the grime I could tell she was one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen.
She scurried through the market systematically stopping at each vendor stand. She carried a clear plastic bag that she was filling with the scrap vegetable pieces that had fallen to the ground. Her little bag was full of pieces of lettuce and cabbage. Clearly she was collecting food to eat!
As quickly as we noticed her she seemed to disappear into the crowd. We were shocked and didn't know what to think. Though she left our sight, in a lot of ways she stayed with us. We talked about it for days and prayed for this little girl we didn't know.
The next week we returned to the market with Duke and Candy, Dave and Leisa had returned home to Michigan. While shopping, I told Duke that I was going to go look for the little girl we had seen the previous week. Walking off I whispered a one sentence prayer, "God help me find her". I didn't walk more than fifty meters before I felt a hug around my waist. I looked down and it was her! All I could think was "God, you are so cool!"
Looking down I saw her big brown eyes, and smiling face pressed up against my hip. I didn't recognize her, but she obviously recognized me. We spoke for a few minutes, and I gathered some important information. Her name was Wendy, and she lived on the street with her mother. I found out that her mother was in the market, so I asked Wendy to take me to her mother.
She led me though the crowd, and soon we were headed toward a woman I recognized. She is a local drug addict that lives in the street. She comes by the mission house for food and clothing. As we approached this woman, I whispered another prayer, "God, please don't let her be Wendy's mother". We stopped directly in front of her, and Wendy said "This is my mommy."
I offered to buy them some food, and they accepted. I explained that I would give her $10 to spend anyway she wanted. We walked though the market together stopping at venders. They spent it all on fruit and veggies. It was almost more than they could carry! At one point Wendy asked her mother for a snow-cone and her mother denied her request. Being a sucker, I took Wendy over to the snow-cone guy to buy her one. The snow-cone guy informed me that Wendy's mother is a bad woman, she lives in the park, and does unspeakable things to get money to support her drug habit, and Wendy gets caught in the middle.
It's at times like this that I want to scream! Why God! Why would you allow this to happen? Don't you see this little girl needs your help! She is growing up on the streets of Alajuelita, and being exposed to all kinds of unthinkable things. Please do something! Then I remember God is good. He knows Wendy's situation perfectly, and He uses people like me and you to send rescue.
Part of me wants to take Wendy into our home, and become part of our family. Provide her with a stable, loving environment. Shower her with love, and tell her that she is a precious daughter of God, and that God loves her more than she will ever know.
When we were finished, they left with bags full of food; and smiling faces. Gifts of food are good, but it's not what she really needs. She needs Jesus, she needs the gospel, and she needs rescue. It's frustrating as I have given her gospel tracts, I have given her prayer, I have given her the gospel, but I am weak and powerless when it comes to changing someone's heart.
Well, I'm heading out the door for my weekly trip to the market. I hope I run into Wendy and her mother. I haven't seen either of them for a couple weeks, and I can't help but think the worst. So I'm praying that today God will allow us to find Wendy and her mother. I'm praying that today is the day! That we will reflect Christ in such a way they would welcome His Rescue.
Please remember to pray our family. Pray that God gives us the endurance we need to deal with all the heartbreaks and trouble here in Alajueltia. Pray that God gives us the wisdom, grace, and love we need to be effective for Him.
Finally, thank you, a thousand times, thank you! Thank you for all your prayers and support. We realize that without God using each of you, we couldn't be here doing what we are doing.
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